Pressmediaofindia
Related Articles
Hyderabad, April 26 (PMI): Congress senior leader and Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has presented a speech reflecting on the changing nature of democratic politics around the world.
Addressing the Plenary Session at the Bharat Summit 2025 at HICC here on Saturday, he called for a political shift from fear and hatred to listening, empathy and love.
“Democratic politics has fundamentally changed. The rules that applied a decade ago don’t work anymore,” Rahul Gandhi said, pointing to how concentrated capital and media control have reshaped the political landscape.
“This is the new politics where the opposition is not engaged with, but crushed. All our avenues were compromised, including the media. That’s when we reached back into history and decided to walk from Kanyakumari to Kashmir—a 4,000-kilometre journey,” the Congress MP said.
Reflecting on his Bharat Jodo Yatra, Rahul Gandhi shared two key lessons: “First, our opponents have a monopoly on anger and fear. We cannot fight them on that ground. But during the yatra, I discovered the transformative power of listening. I spoke less and listened more, and that changed everything,”.
He also shared a moving story of a woman who joined the yatra despite fears of domestic violence, highlighting the importance of truly hearing people’s struggles.
“Our opposition believes they know all the answers. But it is the people who know what needs to be done and we must listen,” Rahul Gandhi said.
The second lesson, he said, was about embracing love in politics. “Until the yatra, I had never used the word ‘love’ in politics. But once I did, people began to respond. Love and affection can disrupt hate more powerfully than any argument,”.
Rahul Gandhi expressed that there will always be differences in policy, but while some view the situation through anger, hatred, and fear, we should adopt a perspective of love, compassion, and attentive listening. He is optimistic that this summit will foster the concepts necessary for a new approach to politics in India and globally. (PMI)
